Firstly, the most important thing this bout of Wikileaks cables has done is expose the degree to which confidentiality laws designed to protect national security are in fact being used to hide potentially embarrassing material which is not a security threat. This helps the public make informed political decisions as we know more about the behaviour of our elected representatives.
Secondly, they have exposed deficiencies in the US security services which allowed so many individuals to have access to such a plethora of unrelated documents and them to be leaked so easily. This helps the security services themselves face up to their problems and tighten security, thankful that these deficiencies have been exposed with relatively harmless material.
Thirdly, in an age of dying print journalism, they expose how poorly professional investigative reporters are doing their jobs, if such information is so readily and easily available to amateurs. This helps the media as it is a wake up call to raise standards in an industry which is rapidly failing.
So all in all, these leaks have been positive.
They have not told us anything we didnt know (or expect). They have not printed anything dangerous to the lives of any individuals (and should not, if they have such material). It is a minor flurry of interesting but unrelevatory cables which have exposed a few minor hidden truths. Nothing more.
Julian Assange is not a hero, or a villain. He is a sleazy, self publicizing bastard. He probably did use his celebrity to push those girls into sex acts they may not have wished to perform, and in Sweden that is against the law. But, doubtless, the publicity and antipathy surrounding the man has been a significant contributing factor to the unusual rigor with which the authorities have pursued these minor allegations.
It is an overblown affair. This is not a battle of free speech vs tyranny. The Assange arrest is not a massive international government conspiracy. It is a minor historical footnote which all concerned have chosen to blow out of proportion, and I suspect all concerned will regret that choice.
